As reported in the May 11, 1985 issue of Billboard magazine:
‘Around The World’ Starts
Fast at Retail; Single Due
This story prepared by Earl Paige in Los Angeles and Fred Goodman in New York:
NEW YORK Retailers already reporting Prince & the Revolution’s “Around The World In A Day” as their best selling album say the release of the first single, “Raspberry Beret”-which ships to radio Monday ([May] 6) can only improve the sales picture. Warner Bros. had initially said there would be no singles culled from the album (Billboard, May 4).
“It’s our No. 1 r&b and pop album, and we sold a whole lot of them in the first week.” says Howard Applebaum, co-owner of the 26-store Kemp Mill chain based in Beltsville, Md. “But this week and next week are critical. I bought as much as l’ve ever bought on any record.”
At Warner Bros. headquarters in Burbank, Lou Dennis, vice president of sales, claims an initial shipment of “almost three million,” with cassettes outpacing LPs one-and-a-half to one. He adds that Prince usually sells “close to twice as many cassettes as LPs,” but that the lion’s share of tape sales traditionally come during the latter half of his albums’ runs.
With no pre-release campaign, no point-of-purchase material, no video, a $9.98 list price and only a small amount of co-op dollars available, retailers took their consolation from the availability of funding for in-
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PRINCE’S ‘AROUND THE WORLD’
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house production of support materials and an initial 7% discount and extended dating deal on all configurations. The single, which is backed by the previously unreleased “She’s Always In My Hair,” is expected to provide the album with an extra shot in the arm.
“The single will make a big difference.” says Debbie Morgan, album buyer for J&R Music World in New York. “We sold a lot of albums the first week, but mostly to fans who knew about it and were willing to give it a shot without hearing it.” Also bemoaning the lack of advance work is Harold Guilfoil, buyer at Waxworks in Owensboro, Ky. “If I’m the one telling store managers the album is out, how in the world is the consumer going to hear of it?” he asks.
Packaging is also an issue in LP and Compaet Disc configurations. The decision to package the CD without jewel box (Billboard, April 6) is drawing a mixed respone, with several retailers saying that they’re going to sell empty jewel boxes as an accessory to those who want it. But Kemp Mill’s Applebaum objects to the printing of lyries on the CD’s outer sleeve -which is designed to be discarded–instead of the cardboard CD jacket.
“I don’t mind not having the jewel box,” he says. “A lot of the guys. who are into CDs are still the audiophiles who are more than willing to pay for it. I just wish they had put the lyries in the keeper sleeve.” Fill on CD has also been uneven, with some accounts receiving a complete fill, others as little as 25%.
Early reports of LP warpage due to the unique gatefold jacket-which includes a tear-off flap -have “settled down,” according to Warner Bros.’ Dennis. While not denying that warping is an issue with a gatefold, he says the complaints might have been an over-reaction.
The album’s $9.98 price tag appears to be having little effect on sales. While Applebaum says he’s “not sure it’s right,” he can’t beef about consumer reaction to his $6.99 price tag. At Streetside in St. Louis, Tom Lunt, buyer for the eight-store chain, says there is “no resistance” to the higher list price.
Although heavy buy-ins spurred by the combination of the artist’s popularity and the discount program have left the retail community a little antsy, confidence appears to be building based on the content of the album.
“I’m selling it,” says Frank Mendez at New York one-stop Stratford Distributing. “It’s a weird album, but it’s a good album, and it’s going to sell through. What it comes down to is that my street accounts are still buying 50 a day.”